A major fire broke out in the warehouse of a private edible oil refinery at Gollapudi here in the early hours of Thursday. Authorities suspect an electrical short circuit could have led to the accident in which Rs 50 lakh worth edible of different brands was gutted.
Divisional Fire Officer V. Srinivas quoted workers as saying that there was a stock of 80 tons of edible oil in the warehouse. The stock registers are yet to be verified. Some workers staying on the first floor of the warehouse escaped in time, as the fire broke out.
Fire fighters battle the blaze for more than three hours to control it by 7 a.m. People from the surrounding habitations rushed to the spot and some of them helped the Fire Services personnel in putting out the fire. The refinery area was engulfed by thick black plumes of smoke.
